Why Perth ? Why Americana Cavalcade? I try to answer those question!

Americana Cavalcade 2has just been announced and isthe most recent throb from the beating heart of country music in the heart of our country - Perth. (Line up and ticket info below)

So why has the recent flowering of power pop country in the fare city of Perth manifested in such great bands as Southpaw and derivatives The New Madrids, & Red Pine Timber Company? Why has Southern Fried Festival found such fertile soil to grow into Scotland's biggest and best American Roots Festival? Why do I have so high hopes that the newly founded Americana Cavalcade can become Scotland's biggest out door celebration of Americana & Western Music? I try to explain just why its all happening in Perth these days, and not just Footballing glory!

Americana Cavalcade is sure my wild pipe dream, what if Scotland (the emerging nation of Europe had an our door celebration of American music and culture? Apart from the fact Perth Racecourse is perfectly situated at the heart of our nation in its ancestral seat, and has the facilities and space to grow to 15,000 people, Perth has the musical history and heritage to cultivate this type of event from, let me explain. For those in the know Perth has been the beating heart of cosmic country music for over near 40 years, due to one principle and propagating factor - Gold Rush Records. Once situated at 9 Kinnoull Street , Gold Rush is in my view responsibility for the seeding and for the modern day flowering of the great Country based music we are now seeing bursting out of this rurally situated community.

Gold Rush was home of legendary vinyl purveying brothers John & Berkeley Thompson, and was the first and last place to find all those rare imports from all the Texas Outlaws, the cult cuts from Laurel Canyon's hippest hipsters and the classic collections of all the coolest Nashville Cats, they were the Rock and Roll Doctors with the finger on the pulse and the cure for all our ills, great great music..

John & Berkeley's emporium in the heart of town and their enthusiasm for the music was firmly and always will be at the heart of Perth's inherent love of Country Music. Perth caught on early how good this music was and young folks got turned on and tuned in here before the rest of the country shook off their post Prog prejudice. Goldrush brought awakened cosmic country fans in from the cold and we traveled from all over the country to empty our wallets and fill up our souls, this pilgrim firmly in the queue at the till.

To further emphasise their passion, confidence and their commitment to the music J & B put their money (our money) where their mouths were and brought over many of these fay geniuses (before it was so easy to do so) for their first Euro experiences, so folks in Perth got to see the likes of Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newbury & Steve Young before anyone else on this side of the pond, and they saw it was good.

Add to this the heady mix of higher education opportunities at the newly establish Perth College Rock School with an increasing realisation that talent could mean a living in music. So came the influx of said talented youngsters from around the country with bursaries bursting to spend on even more rare American imports and duly Perth became our Americana Mecca and market place.

This all kicking in as that all encompassing title "Americana" started to round up all the disparate roots genres that Nashville had abandoned in search of the Country Music Silver Dollar when Rock Music needed a post punk rehab home and moved to music city. Whole sections of every high street record store proudly announced them selves as Americana and we equally disenfranchise true Country, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Soul and Rock n Roll fan's rallied dutifully to the call.

lo and behold Perth had already got a whole shop dripping with every record a down home homeless vital vinyl junky would ever want, cheerfully delivered in John and Berkeley's own inimitable down home style of salesmanship. How could we resist? We didn't and we didn't resist in our droves.

They inspire me and others like me to do our bit all over the country, we set about also trying to sell the good stuff, promote the best gigs and the good brothers fed us the real thing live and on record for over 20 glorious years, until inevitably the internet closed its net on the high street record retail industry and the gold run out for Gold Rush.

However until that fateful day, all country roads lead to and from Perth and no surprise even in these digital "everything at your finger tips" times, they still seem to......

I had the equally great good fortune to help get Belladrum Festival started 10 years ago (Now capped at 15,000 people and sells out every year) and have Joe Gibbs (Hipster laird of Bella) to thanks for the introduction to the lovely people at Perth Racecourse, and will rely heavily on him and our Belladrum colleges to help with its growth. Our remit last year was was to attract 1,000, which we did in the face of dreadful weather. This year we should double that.

Lets hope the Festival weather gods smile on us more favourably this year ................................................... Rob Ellen

The Current Queen of Tex Mex and Bill Board Country Music #1 Songstress

KERRVILLE NEW FOLK FINALIST/ Stephanie scored a record breaking Hit on the Texas Music Chart with COMO SE LLAMA MAMA collaborating with AUGIE MEYERS of TEXAS TORNADOS. She is the first ever Hispanic Female artists to stay at #1 for 5 weeks.

She co-wrote "My Baby's Got a Smile on Her Face" with Loretta Lynn's son-in-law, Mark Marchetti for the 2015 Voice winner Craig Wayne Boyd. Only the second song in history to début at #1 in the Country chart. Garth Brooks was the other one.

Stephanie was recently invited to sing at a Linda Rondstadt Tribute in Los Angeles in Feb 2015 and has sung a Duet with WILLIE NELSON at Willies 4th of JULY. Vanity Fare will be providing full band backing for her main stage appearance and exclusive UK début.

Perth country/rockers breakout band The New Madrids headline after their amazing performance last year and a procession of other festival appearances. Already booked back for a bigger stage at Belladrum and as headline for another Scottish festival later in the summer. Perth really has a band to be proud of.

The other Wayward Ellen Boy Mark Dean Ellenagain brings 60's hit makers and backing band to the stars Vanity Fare back and offers this years theme "Up On Cripple Creek" Yes it is the music of "The Band" Vanity Fare will perform hits and feature the music of "The Band" and invite other artists appearing to perform some of those classic songs on stage with them.

The Daintee's Martin Stephenson, Geordie poet & troubadour now based in Scotland is also our leading exponent of the thumb pick style of old-time country string band guitar. We're delighted he will be bringing his unique personality and performance to Am Cav this year.

Des Horsfallis the living embodiment and valued exponent of the legacy and music of the great Ronnie lane. His grass roots approach to music is loved all over Europe. With a new tribute album to the late great man on the way. It is truly great to have Des with us.

Vocal harmony power country exponents The David latto Band from Fife stole the show in many ways last year. It's so great to have them return for a main-stage appearance this year.

A native of Stonehaven, Scotland, Colin ended a 10 year stay in Southern California a few years back, where along with Scotland he has a sizeable following. He is now based in the NE of Scotland, however plans to tour the US in 2015 are underway.

His current hit CD The Never Ending Pageant Recorded in Santee, CA & mixed and mastered by long term cohort & Grammy award winning EngineerAlan Sanderson garnered both critical and chart success with it reaching a peak of #6 in the UK iTunes Country album chartsin amongst country greats such as Dolly Parton & Johnny Cash.

Dark Green Tree is the music of Ross Cockburn, Jay Brown and Cera Impala. Tipped as ones to watch in 2015 by BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth (already played a sessions for her Culture Cafe Show) and championed and produced by pop svengali writer Boo Hewerdine – the album Secret Lives will be out on May15 - and we predict it will be the buzz album and they the buzz band in Scotland by June the 6th and Americana Cavalcade.

Possibly my favourite album of the Year”Trevor Dan - Head of BBC Music (producer of Later With Jools, The Whistle Test Live and Live Aid)

Our musician in residence at Folk Alliance 2015, Les is a film soundscape creator, singer songwriter, producer, & Dobro wielding side man of choice for many here in the Highlands. He’s recently toured Portugal as well as making his American Début at Folk Alliance 2015 in Kansas City.

He will also be performing a acoustic set with Stephanie Urbina Jones after their meeting at Folk Alliance.

Perth's The Carlowaysare the hot shot band around the saloons and watering holes of the Fair City. This will be their festival début and they will be using the occasion to release their first Ep.

Highland Hillbillys The Federals again will be looking after the atmosphere in the Hog Roast stage and bringing some Yee har (and every chance some Johnny & June Cash ) to proceedings.

Your host for the whole event will be Scotland's leading country music personality (after Sidney Devine of-coarse ) Fash Stewart.

More acts to follow but needless to say so so excited about what is going be a great way to start the Medicine Show Summer Festival season!

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